Examples of national seroepidemiology programs
| Seroepidemiology program | Australia4,6 | Netherlands7,8 | United Kingdom9 | United States10,11 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of implementation | 1997–99 | 1995/96 | 1986/87 | 1999* |
| Sampling strategy | Use of residual sera | Population-based random sampling | Use of residual sera | Population-based random sampling |
| Over-sampling of specific groups | No | Municipalities with low immunization coverage | No | Certain ethnic groups (e.g., Hispanic Americans) |
| Administration of a questionnaire (e.g., gathering information on demographics, immunization history) | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Collection of physical measures other than sera (e.g., anthropometry, blood pressure) | No | No | No | Yes |
| Examples of vaccine-preventable diseases studied to date | Measles; mumps; rubella; varicella; hepatitis A, B and C; diphtheria; tetanus; polio; pertussis; meningococcal C; cytomegalovirus; Helicobacter pylori | Measles; mumps; rubella; varicella; hepatitis A, B and C; diphtheria; tetanus; polio; pertussis; Streptococcus pneumoniae; human papillomavirus | Measles; mumps; rubella; diphtheria; tetanus; varicella; hepatitis A, B and C; herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, parvovirus B19; Norwalk virus; Helicobacter pylori; Toxoplasma gondii; meningococcal C | Measles; varicella; rubella; hepatitis A,B,C and D; herpes simplex virus 1 and 2; human papillomavirus; Helicobacter pylori; Toxoplasma gondii |
| Example of vaccine policy or other advances influenced by program | Targeting varicella vaccination to children under 5 years of age12 | Establishment of multiplexing techniques for testing large, population-based serum banks7 | Addition of meningococcal C conjugate vaccine booster at 12 mo13 | Recommendations for use of quadrivalent vaccine for human papillomavirus14,15 |
↵* Although the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey first began in the early 1960s, it was not a continuous program until 1999.10